


Ashes of Umbara

by HarpforHim



Series: In a Angst-Ridden Galaxy Far, Far Away... Whumptober 2020 [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: CT-7567 | Rex Needs a Hug, Crying, Gen, Post-Episode: s04e07 Darkness on Umbara, Post-Umbara Arc (Star Wars), Protective CC-2224 | Cody, Umbara Arc (Star Wars: Clone Wars), Whumptober 2020, no. 11
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:41:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26955265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HarpforHim/pseuds/HarpforHim
Summary: Caught in the dreadful moments after Umbara, Cody finds himself battling not only his tormented brother's reticence, but the painful silence that follows.Written for Whumptober 2020Prompt No. 11: Crying
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody & CT-7567 | Rex
Series: In a Angst-Ridden Galaxy Far, Far Away... Whumptober 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1967068
Comments: 3
Kudos: 72





	Ashes of Umbara

**Author's Note:**

> I’m trying my hand at Whumptober this year! Only time will tell how well it will go or how long it will last. XD  
> First up, Cody and Rex! Because who doesn’t love Clones?

It was the silence that pushed him over the edge. He could deal with rage; could calm a trooper who only saw red, who wanted to punch his way out of it all.

But he couldn't handle the _silence_.

Especially not from Rex, from his _vod'ika._

The ride back to the _Negotiator_ had been tedious, but at least then they all had a job to do, wounded to care for, supplies to gather.

And at least they were no longer on Umbara.

On the gunship, Cody had all the right words, the proper commands. He knew what to say to the furious soldiers and how to say it; he knew how to calm them down.

Now, as he walked back to the flagship's barracks, his brother at his side, words failed him. Every comment he thought of seemed utterly meaningless in the grand scheme of things.

_What_ _**do** _ _you say after something like_ _**that?** _

Sure, he was outraged too. Of course he was. His heart was hurting, _breaking_ for each and every brother he'd lost to that monster. For Boil, who would never stand beside his best friend again; for Waxer, who'd lost his life so needlessly. But he hadn't been under Krell's command. He'd had General Kenobi to make sense of things for him after the battle.

Rex had no one but himself.

After all, who do you go to when you're the one at the top? When your general tries to lead you so far astray?

Who do you go to when you've been so horribly _manipulated?_

And what do you say to a friend who doesn't want to talk about it?

So, the duo continued on in silence. Unbearable _silence_.

Until Cody physically couldn't take it anymore.

"The men seem to be all right, now." He cleared his throat. "I mean, they seem better."

"They'll survive." Rex's gaze remained fixed on the hall ahead. "They have to."

"I know. They're strong. Soldiers to the end."

It was the wrong choice of words, Cody realized this too late as Rex stiffened.

"Yeah," was all the reply he received.

"Look, Rex," Cody began, sucking in a breath, "if there's ever anything you need to get off your chest—"

"I thought I made it clear I _don't_ want to talk about it."

"I'm not asking you to. All I'm saying is, I'm here. Whenever you need me. And I'm sorry I wasn't there when…"

There was no reason to remind Rex of the hellish events he'd just suffered through.

"Eh, it's all right," Rex said with a half-hearted shrug. "You had the 212th to take care of."

A mirthless chuckle escaped Cody's throat. "Yeah. Yeah, I took care of them, all right. I took care of them so well that it killed half of them."

"Hey!" Rex's tone was sharp now, cutting. A stark contrast from his previous tone. "None of that was your fault. There's no way you could've known."

_Bingo._

"Neither could you." _Show me how to make you see it._

That dreadful silence settled upon them once more, slowly choking the life out of Cody.

Rex averted his eyes. "I was Krell's second-in-command. I was _right there_ the entire time." He clenched his fist. "If anyone should've known, it would've been me. It _should've_ been me. The boys were right all along. I wasn't anything but a pawn to him."

Cody could see the rage boiling in his friend's eyes—rage where before there'd been only a dull pain.

He couldn't handle the silence. Not from Rex.

Not from _himself_.

With a strength he didn't quite feel, he placed a gloved palm on Rex's shoulder pad.

Somewhere along the line, his feet had stopped moving, stranding them both in the middle of the hallway.

"Hey…" Rex continued to avoid his gaze, keeping his eyes fixed on something unseen ahead. "I'm sorry. Truly, I am, vod'ika."

The nickname, which normally made the captain buck with irritation, was uttered so gently that it seemed to melt Rex's hard exterior.

When he spoke, the captain's voice was a mere whisper. "I am too."

Finally, Cody's brown eyes met identical ones, only Rex's were clouded with unshed tears.

"I'm sorry you lost Waxer," he continued, his voice tight with rare emotion. "I'm sorry I couldn't see what Krell was up to before you went up against the 501st. And,"—he sucked in a shaky breath—"I'm sorry you can't talk me through this like you always do. Some things you just can't talk out and expect the pain to disappear. Some pain _never_ goes away."

"All right," Cody said softly after a few moments, almost fearing his brother might shatter at any moment. "You don't want to talk about it. I respect that. I won't mention it again. But, at least let me _show_ you."

By now, Rex was blinking back his tears far too rapidly, a sight that would have been comical under brighter circumstances. "Show me what?"

"That I'm always here for you, brother. Whenever you need me, well, you know…" a small smile pulled at his lips. "You have a commlink right there on your wrist. Even if you don't want to talk and you just need to know someone is sitting there on the other side, listening, waiting."

With shaking hands, Rex swiped at his eyes, banishing the unwelcome tears that trickled down his cheeks. He opened his mouth, but no words came.

So, he simply nodded.

"Good. Now, let's go check on our brothers, shall we?"

Another nod from Rex and they resumed their walk.

"I do know someone who might need to talk it out, though," Rex said after a few moments. "Don't give me that look. I didn't change my mind."

"Just checking."

Rex cleared his throat. "Fives still has a few choice words and, honestly, there's nothing he could say that I haven't heard at least three times already."

"All right," Cody replied with a nod and a grin. "We'll go check on Fives. Anyone else?"

"Isn't Fives more than enough?"

Laughter filled the air, drowning out the last of the silence.

The silence Cody detested so.

Because he could handle the tears, he could fight the pain.

But he couldn't stand the silence.


End file.
